A LITTLE BIT OF ABORIGINAL CULTURE
Australian Aborigines culture dates back to more than 50,000 years. Aborigines have survived harsh desert conditions and have a detailed knowledge of the plants, animals and water sources available in the country. To keep their folklore alive, the Aborigines re-tell their stories in songs, fables, and dances and cave paintings.
Aboriginal children were taught that they belonged to the land and must respect tribal boundaries. Tribes returned to particular sites to bury their dead. Some areas were designated sacred sites because of their association with the Dreamtime, the time when the earth was formed and cycles of life and nature were initiated.
Aboriginal legends, songs and dances tell of powerful spirits who created the land and people during the Dreamtime. There is no written Aboriginal language and most of the 600 tribes spoke different dialects and languages. They rarely met except on ceremonial occasions. The tradition of the Dreamtime, however, was a unifying force and rock paintings depicting this creation period can be found dotted throughout the country.
One of the great achievements of Queensland’s diversification of its tourism industry has been growth of Aboriginal tourism enterprises in regional centres of the State of Queensland.
Near Cairns, a special Aboriginal cultural experience is now attracting tourists in increasing numbers and winning the highest tourism awards in Australia. The Tjapukai Dance Theatre is the only permanent Aboriginal theatre in Australia where traditional skills such as fire making, corroboree dances, and Dreamtime legends are performed daily. Body adornment and tribal artefacts are humorously explained to the haunting tones of the didgeridoo.
Tjapukai has won a host of Queensland, national and international awards including the Pacific Area Travel Association Gold Award for Cultural Development for Pacific Rim countries and the US Film and Video Award. You can see a wonderful recreation of Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime at Tjapakai Aboriginal Theme Park, just a short journey from Mid City Luxury Suites, shows operate daily throughout the day. For more information visit the website at www.tjapukai.com.au
In the competitive world of tourism promotions and operations in Far North Queensland, Ms Hazel Douglas of Native Guide Safari Tours won the Cairns Tourism Association’s Major Hospitality Award for Excellence of Service in her very first year of operation. Ms Douglas is a member of the Kuku Yalanji tribe of the spectacularly beautiful Daintree area and takes tourists on a special experience of the region. Tours can be booked through our tour desk at Mid City Luxury Suites.
For more information about a tour with Hazel, a tour where you will learn all about Aboriginal culture, language, bush tucker from a direct descendant just visit the web site at www.nativeguidesafaritours.com.au
